First cruise was a blast!

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 6

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5
Norwegian Encore

7 Night Alaska Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 03, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9720

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Our first cruise and first trip to Alaska. Had a wonderful time overall. Difficulties largely focused around kid activities and may largely be causes by covid rules and/or hiring shortages. Would still do the trip again. The Encore is a beautiful ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Seemed well organized, no issues. Definitely recommend you try and get to the port by 9am as the lines later in the morning looked very long.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Overall, the food was good, though occasionally you'd find cold food at the buffet. We learned to avoid pre-made items like eggs benedict or "hot" sandwiches. Main dining areas were nice but, to us at least, nothing special compared to the buffet.

Food Republic

5 out of 5

Food Republic may be the best kept secret on the ship. It wasn't as busy as some of the other specialty restaurants and I couldn't tell you why that was. The food is OUTSTANDING. We didn't have one dish we didn't like. Sushi was fresh and delicious. The staff was great, friendly, helpful, and attentive. We had a dining package which meant we each chose 4 dishes, which was great for sharing. You should definitely check it out.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Overall we enjoyed the ship activities. Detailed in venue reviews some highlights/lowlights.

Pulse Fitness Center

5 out of 5

We used the fitness center in the morning and that helped counter a bit all the food we ate during the day 🤣Lots of equipment, never had an issue finding a place to work out.

Aqua Park

5 out of 5

Kids loved the pools and the slides, when it was warm enough.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Encore Theater

5 out of 5

Saw both the Choir of Man and Kinkyboots. Both were fantastic!

Encore Speedway

2 out of 5

We had a blast at the Speedway. The issue was getting to ride. Our reservations kept getting bounced because of weather, but they don't honor the original reservations. You just need to make a new one. By the end, we only got on once and my youngest, who needed the double kart option, never got to ride. You also needed to go up to the Speedway to see if it was open, no information was available from the app or TVs. Very disappointing overall.

The Cavern Club

4 out of 5

The Beatles band were fantastic, but get there early. It's a small venue with limited seating. Had to stand and watch quite a few times.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Splash Academy

3 out of 5

My 8 year old had a blast here, never had any complaints. The issue was the limited times it was open and how many kids were allowed in (50 on a ship of 3000). Often we were in line for 30-45 minutes before it opened, just to make sure he got in. And then it was only open for 2 hours.

Entourage Teen Club

5 out of 5

My 13 year old loved coming here daily and enjoyed the freedom of coming and going as he pleased.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Juneau, Alaska

5 out of 5
Loved seeing the Mendenhall Glacier. We grabbed a taxi there and back. As a family of 4, it was cheaper than the excursion, they picked us up within 10 minutes of calling, and we were able to be dropped off exactly where we wanted in town so we could do our own walking tour before dinner. Tracy's king crab was expensive but totally worth it. Very crowded though with a long wait so make sure to give yourself plenty of time.

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5
The train ride was worth every penny.

Cruise Glacier Bay

5 out of 5
This is why you're going on an Alaska cruise. Get a balcony. What an unforgettable experience!

KETCHIKAN (WARD COVE), ALASKA

2 out of 5
Disappointing. The town looked wonderful but NCL docks so far away and the bus ride back has such a long line that by the time we got to the actual town, the bus driver literally told us "see you in 45 minutes". So we really didn't see much.

Victoria, British Columbia

4 out of 5
Beautiful city but I wish we had more time here. By the time we arrived the sun was already close to setting.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

Was this review helpful? 6

7 Comments

Other reviews of this sailing